Merlot

Merlot grapes are the second most planted red variety in the world - falling only to Cabernet Sauvignon. It is grown in practically every area of the world and can be found growing in the United States, Italy, France, Chile, Australia, South Africa, Switzerland and more!

Merlot is a wine that everyone knows but ends up being actually very difficult to pinpoint the exact flavors that Merlot presents. Commonly plum and black cherry are used to describe the wine. It is known for. being smooth, rounded and easy drinking. 

Merlot is often used to produce a wine with a particular texture rather than a particular taste. The Merlot grape itself is relatively large in comparison to its pip and the thickness of the skin of the grape itself. This makes the Merlot grape varietal perfect for softening wines that are made from more tannic varietals.

Merlot grapes like many varietals are known to have extremely terrior affected characteristics. They tend to be lush and low in tannins while there is a softer and silky mouthfeel in comparison to other wines like Cabernet Sauvignon. They are grown in numerous areas of the world including France, Italy, USA, Chile, Romania, Australia, and South Africa.

Merlot is a fantastic blending wine due to these characteristics, and is used in great effect to make some of the most famous wines in the world. Cabernet Sauvignon is the main blending partner for Merlot grapes, but other varietals like Malbec, Sangiovese, and Petit Verdot work beautufilly together as well. 

Merlot grapes grow in loose bunches of large berries that are dark blue. They have a higher sugar content and lower malic acid than many other varietals. It is actually the child of Cabernet Franc and Magdeleine Noire des Charentes and it has half-siblings of Malbec and Cabernet Suavignon.

Merlot is a great wine to pair with all sorts of foods with its lush texture and plummy flavors. It is a dry wine with a medium to full body. There is medium acidity and a pronounced but not overpowering tannins. Since it is such a terrior specific wine the flavors can vary but in general you should expecct dark fruit flavors of black cherry, blackberry, plum, and raspberry while herbal notes and undertones of vanilla and mocha are common.

Merlot gives you the option to really try out various yeast choices like 4028 Red, 4267 Summation Red, 4767 Dry/Fortified, MT, BM45, BDX, RP15 (VQ15), ICV-D21, ICV-D254, ICV-D80, ICV-GRE, WLP740 Merlot